Tongue holder and gripper assembly



July 28, 1964 o. E. FOSTER 3,142,252

TONGUE HOLDER AND GRIPPER ASSEMBLY Filed June 12. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Otis E2 Faster 1N VENTOR.

BY M

y 8, 1964 o. E. FOSTER 3,142,252

TONGUE HOLDER AND GRIPPER ASSEMBLY Filed June 12. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Otis E Foster 1N VEN TOR.

United States Patent Ofi 3,142,252 Patented July 28, 1964 3,142,252 TONGUE HOLDER AND GRIPPER ASSEMBLY Otis E. Foster, 2826 Pine St., Abilene, Tex. Filed June 12, 1961, Ser. No. 116,347 1 Claim. (Cl. 101-408) The present invention generally relates to novel improvements on printing presses such as various models of platen presses such as are manufactured by Brandtjen and Kluge of St. Paul, Minnesota, and more particularly relates to novel and improved adjustable tension tongues which need not be changed from one job to another but which can be removed without a screw or screwdriver mechanism. Also, the present invention enables the gripper bars to be adjusted without employing a wrench and further provides novel side guide saddles with an adjustable tongue as well as a novel mechanism for anchoring the guide register which carries the side guide saddles.

The present invention has for its primary object the provision of novel structural improvements over conventional printing presses such as is illustrated in'Patent No. 2,088,377 and includes a novel means for releasably supporting the gripper bars in laterally adjusted position in relation to the platen whereby the gripper bars may be supported on the gripper support bar which is oscillatable about an axis slightly offset from the longitudinal center thereof whereby the gripper bars will be swung upwardly and downwardly in relation to the platen between an open and a closed position. Normally, such gripper bars are released for lateral adjustment in relation to the platen by employing a Wrench on a nut but in the present construction, the manually operated lock device for securing the gripper bars is provided.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel tongue holder mounted on the press in which a tongue which engages the foremost edge of the sheet when fed onto the platen may be easily removed and changed Without requiring the use of any screw or screwdriver such as is normally required.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a novel side register gauge structure incorporating various improvements over that type of construction illustrated in Patent No. 2,138,107 and specifically includes a novel manner of securing a side register gauge to the supporting rod therefor together with a novel means for locking the slidingly adjustable sheet engaging finger on the side register gauge whereby a positive lock is provided for the tongue or finger and at the same time locks the saddle on the register in longitudinally adjusted position.

Further objects of the present invention will reside in its simplicity of construction which enables adjustment of the various components without requiring the use of various hand tools such as Wrenches, screwdrivers and the like which are cumbersome in use and which gradually destroy the various components such as bolt heads, nuts, screw head slots and the like thus requiring replacement of these components and also quite often causing the tools to easily slip and thus causing injury to the hand. Thus, the present invention provides a safer operation when adjusting the various components and further reduces the time required in setting up the components for a particular job.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmental perspective view of the platen of a printing press illustrating the gripper bars, tongue gripper and side registers incorporating the details of the present invention therein;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal, vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 3-3 of FIGURE 1 illustrating the mechanism for securing the gripper bars in position on the gripper sup port bar;

FIGURE 4 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 4-4 of FIGURE 3 illustrating further structural details of the hand operated mechanism;

FIGURE 5 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 5-5 of FIGURE 3 illustrating further structural details of this portion of the invention;

FIGURE 6 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 6-6 of FIGURE 1 illustrating the mechanism for securing the tongue in place and also the mechanism for securing the side register gauge in place;

FIGURE 7 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 77 of FIGURE 6 illustrating the mechanism for securing the side register saddle and tongue or finger in adjusted position.

FIGURE 8 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 8-8 of FIGURE 1 illustrating the details of construction of the structure for retaining the tongue releasably in place;

FIGURE 9 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 9-9 of FIGURE 2 illustrating further structural details of the side register gauge clamping mechanism;

FIGURE 10 is a detailed sectional view of the tongue holder mechanism similar to FIGURE 8 but taken from the opposite side thereof; and

FIGURE 11 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 11-11 of FIGURE 2 illustrating further structural details of the clamping mechanism for the central tongue.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the platen of the printing press and alongside one edge thereof, a support bar 12 is mounted for pivotal movement about hinge pins 14 with the pivotal movement being controlled by a cam 16 engaged by a follower 18 carried by the support bar 12. The details of the support bar 12 and the platen 10 and other associated structure such as delivery grip 20 are similar to the structure disclosed in Patent No. 2,088,377.

The support bar 12 is provided with a pair of longitudinally elongated slots 22 therein and a continuous longitudinal groove 24. Overlying the bar 12 is an elongated gripping bar 26 having a downturned end 28 slid-' able in the groove 24. A fastening bolt 34) extends upwardly through the end portion of the gripper bar 26 adjacent the downturned end 28 and a nut 32 is mounted on the upper end of the bolt 30 in engagement with the gripper bar 26. Normally, the bolt Sil is provided with a conventional T-head whereby manipulation of the nut 32 will effect release and clamping of the gripping bar 26 whereby the gripping bars may be moved inwardly or outwardly in relation to the platen 19.

One of the features of the present invention includes a manually operated mechanism generally designated by numeral 34 for effecting release and clamping of the gripping bar 26. This mechanism includes an enlarged head 36 integral with the lower end of the bolt 30. The head 36 includes a portion 38 disposed in the slot 22 to prevent rotation of the bolt 30 and also there is provided a transverse opening 40 rotatably receiving a cam member 42. The cam member 42 is provided with a laterally extending handle 44 on the outer end thereof for effecting rotation thereof. A suitable groove and pin connection 46 may be provided for preventing removal of the cam member 42 from the bore 40. Thus, upon rotation of the handle 44, the cam member 42 may be rotated so that a low spot or flat spot 48 thereon will register with the lower edge of the support bar 12 for releasing the gripping bar 26 and upon rotation of the handle 44 in the other direction, the high part of the cam will be effectively brought into engagement with the lower surface of the support bar 12 thus locking the gripping bar 26 in position.

An axial coil spring 50 encircles a portion of the cam member 42 disposed exteriorly of the head 36 and one end of the coil spring 50 is anchored to a pin 52 rigid with the cam member 42 and the other end thereof extends tangentially as indicated at 54 and is hooked over a laterally extending pin 56 rigid with the head 36 thereby spring biasing the handle 44 downwardly to the position for clamping the gripping bar 26 in position. Thus, when the handle 44 is raised in the direction of the arrow in FIGURE 4, the cam member 42 will be released thus releasing the gripping bar 26. Then, when the gripping bar 26 is moved to the desired adjusted position, it is only necessary to release the handle 44 whereupon the spring 50 will then cause the gripping bar 26 to be locked in position by virtue of bringing the high spot of the cam 42 in engagement with the lower surface of the gripping bar 12. This construction completely eliminates the use of any wrench or other hand tool for releasing and adjusting the gripping bar. The nut 32 is retained for an initial adjustment of the bolt so that the manually operated mechanism 34- will effect proper clamping engagement of the gripping bar 26 by virtue of the nut 32 being capable of adjusting the distance between the lower surface of the nut 32 and the high and low spots on the cam 42. The use of the manually operated mechanism 34 not only reduces the time required in adjusting the gripping bars 26 but also reduces any possibility of injury to the hands such as quite often occurs when clamping the gripping bars in place by using the conventional wrench engaged with the usual clamping nut provided therefor such as is illustrated in the above mentioned patent.

Attached to the platen in generally parallel relation to the support bar 12 is a support rod 58 for adjustably supporting a side register gauge 60 in laterally adjusted position in relation to the platen 10. Mounted on the side register gauge 60 is a saddle assembly generally designated by numeral 62 and including a spring finger or tongue 64 adjustable in relation thereto for engagement with a sheet of paper 65 disposed on the platen 10 whereby the adjustment features enable the adjustment of these components without requiring any hand tools whatsoever.

Slidably mounted on the support rod 58 is a downwardly facing U-shaped member 66 slidably engaging the rod 58. An eye-bolt member 68 having a threaded stud 70 extends through the saddle 66 and encircles the rod 58 whereby relative movement between the eye-bolt 6S and the saddle 66 will cause a clamping engagement of the saddle 66 and the eye-bolt 68 in relation to the support rod 58 thus adjustably locking the saddle 66 in place. For accomplishing this locking operation, there is provided a nut 72 of a particular configuration as illustrated in FIGURE 2. The nut 72 is elongated and, when in clamped position, is disposed in parallel relation to the saddle 66 so that the entire nut is within the lateral confines of the saddle 66 thus eliminating any possibility of this nut becoming disengaged accidentally. The lower surface of the elongated nut 72 is slightly convex for engaging the saddle 66 whereby the nut may be unscrewed to release the saddle 66 and tightened down to clamp the saddle 66 in adjusted position on the rod 58. The threaded connection between the nut 72 and the stud 70 is orientated in such a manner that when the nut 72 4 is in clamping position, it is in a position with the longitudinal axis thereof parallel with the longitudinal axis of the support rod 58.

Extending from one edge of the saddle 66 is an arm 74 having a thumb nut 76 threaded onto the outer end thereof which thumb nut forms a stop for the side register gauge 69 that is pivotally supported to the arm 74 by a pivot bolt or screw 78. The side register gauge 60 is retained against the thumb nut 76 by virtue of an axial spring 30 encircling a mounting screw 82 and having one arm 84 engaged with the edge of the arm 74 and the other arm 86 engaged with the outer edge of the register gauge 60 thus spring biasing the register gauge 69 against the thumb nut 76 but enabling the gauge 60 to be moved outwardly against the tension of the spring 80.

The saddle assembly 62 is in the form of a channelshaped member 88 having inturned flanges 90 slidably engaging the register gauge 60. Also, there is a transverse bore 92 slidably receiving the straight portion of the finger or tongue 64. The finger or tongue 64 is provided with a stop member 94 on the end thereof remote from the portion which engages the sheet of material 65 for limiting the adjustment of the finger 64 in relation to the sheet of material 65. A clamp screw 96 having a knurled knob 98 thereon is provided for locking the spring finger or tongue 64 in place and inasmuch as the spring finger or tongue 64 also passes over the register gauge 60, the clamping action exerted on the tongue 64 will also lock the saddle assembly 62 in longitudinally adjusted position on the register gauge 60. Thus, by manipulating the single knob 98 the saddle assembly 62 may be adjusted in position and also the spring finger 64 may be adjusted in position.

Disposed centrally of the supporting bar 12 and the platen 10 is an elongated spring tongue 100 constructed of flat metallic resilient material which is detachably connected to a support member 102 which extends downwardly through an opening 104 in the support bar 12. Pivotally mounted on the upper end of the support member 102 is a chuck member or carrier 106 for the tongue 1%. Pivotal movement of the carrier 106 is enabled by virtue of a pivot pin 108 and a spring 110 extends between the carrier 106 and an adjustable member 112 on the support 102 for varying the tension of the spring 119 and also varying the direction of application for varying the clamping effectiveness of the tongue 100.

The chuck 106 is provided with a slot opening 114 slidably receiving the end of the tongue 100 and a transverse opening 116 is provided in communication with the slot-like opennig 114 and a cam member 118 is rotatably disposed in the transverse opening 116 for releasably locking the tongue 100 in position so that the tongue may be easily removed when the low spot of the cam 118 is in engagement therewith and securely locked in position when the high spot of the cam 118 is in engagement therewith.

An operator member for the cam 118 is provided and is in the form of a plate 120 rigidly attached to one end of the cam member 118. The plate 120 is provided With an arcuate groove 122 therein receiving a pin 124 to limit the pivotal movement of the cam 118 and a small axial spring 126 is connected with the plate 120 for urging the plate 120 to a clamped position. Actually, the pin 124 may be in the form of the terminal end of the spring 126 which spring biases the plate 120 and the cam 118 to a clamping position thus releasably locking the tongue holder 100 in place. The cam lock construction for the tongue 100 replaces the normally provided clamping screw along with the problems incident to releasing and tightening a screw with a conventional screwdriver especially after repeated use in which the kerf in the screw becomes worn and disfigured. Therefore, the present invention not only saves time but also reduces possible injury.

The various components which are improved enable a considerable saving in time in setting up the printing press and also eliminates the necessity of having various hand tools readily accessible. Invariably, such hand tools become lost or misplaced and considerable time is lost in searching for and locating such tools. Then, after repeated use, the various nuts, bolts and the like become worn and the wrenches, screwdrivers quite often will slip olf of the nuts, bolts, screws and the like and this quite often will result in injury to the hands of the person using the tools and especially injury to the knuckles. With the present invention, rigid locks are provided for the various components for securing them in place which locks are easily operated by hand for both loosening and tightly clamping the locks in place.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A tongue assembly for use with a platen-type printing press for retaining a sheet thereon comprising a support member, a chuck pivotally mounted on said support member for movement solely in a vertical plane, spring means interconnecting the chuck and the support memher, said spring means biasing the chuck downwardly toward the platen, said spring means including a biasmeans limiting the swinging movement of the cam memher, and spring means interconnecting the chuck and the operating handle for urging the cam member to tongue clamping position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 161,049 Megill Mar. 23, 1875 629,089 Olmesdahl July 18, 1899 824,256 Mayer June 26, 1906 1,058,382 Owen Apr. 8, 1913 1,399,064 Linebaugh Dec. 6, 1921 1,430,911 Linebaugh Oct. 3, 1922 1,509,233 Gardner Sept. 23, 1924 1,563,014 Carroll Nov. 24, 1925 1,712,585 Root May 14, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS 26,219 Great Britain Nov. 12, 1909 

